1 in 4 people in Japan believes AI could replace friends and family: poll

A Jiji Press survey found that 24.9% of people in Japan believe advanced AI will replace their friends and family in the future, while 65.1% disagreed. The survey, conducted on 2,000 people aged 18 or older from June 12 for four days, also revealed that 30.8% use generative AI like ChatGPT, with the highest usage among those in their 30s at 56.2%.

One in four people in Japan believes that more advanced artificial intelligence will replace their friends and families in the future, a Jiji survey on communications has found. The proportion of those who expressed this belief stood at 24.9%, while 65.1% said they did not think AI would replace their friends and families. Of the respondents aged between 18 and 29, 32.5% said that advanced AI would replace their friends and families in the future. The proportion stood at 30.1% among respondents in their 30s, 29.2% among those in their 40s and 31.4% among those in their 50s. In the survey, 30.8% of the overall respondents said they use generative AI, such as ChatGPT, while 67.8% said they do not. The usage rate came to 53.3% among those aged between 18 and 29, 56.2% among those in their 30s, 47.4% among those in their 40s, 27.4% among those in their 50s and 21.9% among those in their 60s. Asked what they use generative AI for, with multiple answers allowed, 64.7%, the largest group, said they use it for work, followed by 35.3% who cited cleaning, cooking and other household chores and 27.1% who said they use it to ask questions about current affairs. Also, 21.7% said they chat with AI about their favorite music, characters and celebrities, and 12.8% said that they use AI to express worries and complaints about love and work. The interview-based survey was conducted on 2,000 people age 18 or older nationwide for four days from June 12. Valid responses were given by 57.1%.